Friday, October 9, 2009

I've been on the news twice in the past week. I was walking to the MAX at Pioneer Square and was asked whether the Made in Oregon sign should stay the same. As a Beaver, of course the sign shouldn't have any U of Zero influences.

Today, upon leaving downtown Boise after happy hour I was asked what I think about the streetcar in downtown, so I gave them a piece of my mind. They didn't get the whole bit, but enough for a sound bite.

I am on the Board of the Initiative for bicycle & pedestrian innovation (IBPI). They put together a nice piece on how Portland's Bicycle system has been built over time. The City's Bicycle Master Plan points toward a goal of 25% bicycle trips by 2030.

They have a great Bike Tour online. http://www.ibpi.usp.pdx.edu/biketour.php

Friday, October 2, 2009

Found this on the internet (Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle), a little surprised Austin wasn't thrown in there for fun ( I wonder how this list was created):

INVITATIONDear Sir or Madam,I am writing to invite the City of Minneapolis to the chartering of the Progressive Bicycle Cities Coalition. The meeting and related events will take place in Portland, Oregon from Thursday, October 1st to Saturday, October 3rd. We hope that a city representative will come and share Minneapolis's recent accomplishments in developing its bicycle infrastructure, as well as learn from the experiences of otherprogressive bicycle cities. We request your city’s participation in helping establish a framework for this coalition to advance technology and innovation in the development of urban bicycle transportation systems, and guide national policy, standards and best practices to support these systems. Our collaboration is needed to create a model for U.S. cities to illustrate how providing quality bicycle infrastructure and programs can provide transportation options, promote healthier citizens and reduce theeffects of global climate change.

As host, Portland invites you to visit our bicycle-friendly city, meet with representatives from other cities, and participate in bicycle-related events that will be occurring during this time. Some of the concurrent events include:- Private preview of the Danish 'Dreams on Wheels' exhibit featuring the art and function of the bicycle;- Singer/ songwriter/ bicycle activist/ and author David Byrne book release event;- Lecture by Niels Jensen, from the City of Copenhagen;- Discussion with representatives from the Netherlands and Denmark regarding international best practices for bicycle infrastructure; and- Tour of Portland's bicycling facilities, including an opportunity to ride on Portland’s first ‘cycle track.’In addition to interacting with representatives from coalition cities (Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle), we have invited three renowned bicycle advocates to participate and discuss federal reauthorization opportunities, and provide coalition guidance. They include Tim Blumenthal of the Bikes Belong Coalition, Randy Neufeld of SRAM and Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists.We realize that the time frame for planning this event is relatively short, and that this is a challenging time to request expenses. We are currently doing all that we can to secure funding to assist PBCC representatives with their travel expenses. City of Portland staff is available to help you with local hotel arrangements, ground transportation, bicycle rental, or any other issues that would help make this trip possible for you.